Ottakee Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 We are having a private appraisal done of our home this afternoon. How much does deep cleaning matter in an appraisal? If the house is basically picked up and floors clean, is that enough? I have a "to do" list a mile long already but if super clean really matters, that will have to be top on the list today. We need this appraisal to come in as high as possible as we will use this when the highway comes through if the state offers us less than we feel is fair. How about the barn? If the stalls are clean and floor swept is that enough or should I spend 1-2 hours really cleaning it up? The barn and pastures are a big plus to our property. UGG. I do not like this having to move thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I think clean helps. But don't over rate it. One of our apprasials was done with 2 rooms completely coverd in boxes. Part of the value of your property will be according to how the property around you has sold and assessed over the last year or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 Ok. then I won't fret so much. The issue is that we are the only place on our road/area with 5 1/2 acres set up for horses. Most places are on 1-2 acres or huge old farms on 40+ acres. There are only 3 places in our township for sale with over 5 acres and none are close to what we have. I will still get busy though to get things picked up, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Our appraiser took those other properties and came up with a per acre value using the other properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 The cleaning you've already done is fine. Make a list of all the positives of your home and property, and maybe with a cost to construct number too, and give the appraiser a copy of that. For example your fence - call a local fencing company and ask them what your fence would cost to build on another piece of land. It may help especially since this appraiser is working for you. Then again, they have their guidelines they must stay within. I hope you get a great appraisal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingiguana Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 This is an actual appraiser, right? Not just a realtor who is looking to put your house on the market? Our experience with appraisers is that they just look at the house and compare with the neighborhood. A realtor however may "appraise" your house and come up with a number that is mostly based on how recent the paint job is, etc (or how quickly they want to make a sale). When we had our house actually appraised for a loan, I don't remember the appraiser even coming inside. However, when we were looking to put a house on the market, the "appraisals" from realtors kept going up as we did more cosmetic changes -- cleaning and painting and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 Yes, this is a real appraiser, not a realtor. Since the highway is taking out house we don't have to do the repaint, touch up, etc. thing. In 6 months or less my house will be dozed :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Question: Can you hire someone to take apart your barn and rebuild it on your new location? Of course, you would have MDot cover this expense, but depending on how "new" the barn is...I would consider it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 For an appraiser it shouldn't matter at all. ... Now, I'm sure there *is* a difference from a human standpoint, when you're talking about real extremes. But for normal, average clutter and mess from living in a place or recently moving in or out? Doesn't make any difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 Question: Can you hire someone to take apart your barn and rebuild it on your new location? Of course, you would have MDot cover this expense, but depending on how "new" the barn is...I would consider it. Our barn is not even 2 years old. We were told that we could possibly buy it back at salvage prices from the salvage company and then have it moved. Depending on what that costs, that is something we are considering. It is a very nice 40x48 pole barn with 40 foot lean to in the back for the horses, 14 feet high with a hay loft to store 250 bales of hay. It even has infloor heat installed in the cement sections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4wildberrys Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 My husband is an appraiser---so I can tell you that without a doubt, clean does NOT matter! ;) Value of a home and property is based on condition, age and appropriate comparable properties. Certain upgrades will have more value----things like landscaping and fencing typically won't give you much if any bang for your buck. Cost to construct really may have no bearing in a neighborhood or market place. If the appraiser is giving you a private appraisal, he/she will probably have more leeway in coming up with comps for valuation as far as distance from your home and similar properties. If it's being done for a bank, we have to follow THEIR guidelines for how far away comparable properties can be and values. Hope this helps! Appraisers these days have to follow VERY stringent guidelines in coming up with values, sometimes to the chagrin of the homeowner who is expecting a higher value :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 This is an actual appraiser, right? Not just a realtor who is looking to put your house on the market? Our experience with appraisers is that they just look at the house and compare with the neighborhood. A realtor however may "appraise" your house and come up with a number that is mostly based on how recent the paint job is, etc (or how quickly they want to make a sale). When we had our house actually appraised for a loan, I don't remember the appraiser even coming inside. However, when we were looking to put a house on the market, the "appraisals" from realtors kept going up as we did more cosmetic changes -- cleaning and painting and such. we've had 2 appraisers who basically found comps and took 3 pictures from the outside of the house. Nice...we paid you 250 dollars for a 15 minute job. Wish I could get a gig like that... However last fall we refi-ed. The appraiser spent almost an hour here. He measured the house. Took lots of photos. Walked through everything. Checked out the property and made sure of the boundaries. It was the most thorough appraisal I've ever seen. I'd sweep out the barn and make sure basic cleaning was done. i would not worry about baseboards, organizing, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4wildberrys Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 we've had 2 appraisers who basically found comps and took 3 pictures from the outside of the house. Nice...we paid you 250 dollars for a 15 minute job. Wish I could get a gig like that... However last fall we refi-ed. The appraiser spent almost an hour here. He measured the house. Took lots of photos. Walked through everything. Checked out the property and made sure of the boundaries. It was the most thorough appraisal I've ever seen. I'd sweep out the barn and make sure basic cleaning was done. i would not worry about baseboards, organizing, etc. Um...well, that was just the FIRST part of the job. It's called a 'Drive By' appraisal because the appraiser will drive by the outside of the house and take pictures and make notes on the condition, construction etc. THEN---we come back to the office to fill out a report. The scope of the work is $250 worth of our time----and actually that is a rather inexpensive Drive By Appraisal, believe it or not! We've heard these types of comments a LOT----how an appraiser comes in, snaps a few photos etc. , "must be nice to make that kind of money for that" But remember, we are licensed, must take continuing ed EVERY year and have professional standards to follow. Our time is worth money----so the second appraisal you got was a Full Appraisal---meaning the bank required a full interior/exterior inspection to give a thorough valuation---hence your different experiences. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Um...well, that was just the FIRST part of the job. It's called a 'Drive By' appraisal because the appraiser will drive by the outside of the house and take pictures and make notes on the condition, construction etc. THEN---we come back to the office to fill out a report. The scope of the work is $250 worth of our time----and actually that is a rather inexpensive Drive By Appraisal, believe it or not! We've heard these types of comments a LOT----how an appraiser comes in, snaps a few photos etc. , "must be nice to make that kind of money for that" But remember, we are licensed, must take continuing ed EVERY year and have professional standards to follow. Our time is worth money----so the second appraisal you got was a Full Appraisal---meaning the bank required a full interior/exterior inspection to give a thorough valuation---hence your different experiences. ;) :iagree: Yep, the time spent at the house is just the tip of the iceberg. The research for comps and determining the value is not quick and easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Make a list of all the positives of your home and property, and maybe with a cost to construct number too, and give the appraiser a copy of that. For example your fence - call a local fencing company and ask them what your fence would cost to build on another piece of land. Our appraiser asked for any updates we had made to the property from minor paint and door facing changes, new kitchen sink, to major electrical and structural changes like windows and roofs. They actually asked back 5 years so we were glas to know what the previous owner had done. I would also contact your insurance company. My dh sells homeowners insurance in your state and he is required to determine a replacement cost on a home whenever he writes a policy. That is the amount it would cost to rebuild it if totally destroyed. Usually that amount is more than the appraisal or the tax value but it does give a more accuate amount for cost of materials to replace and rebuild. If your agent hasn't done one in a while, call and ask if he can. It isn't something the appraiser will want, but it could be useful when dealing with the DOT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Um...well, that was just the FIRST part of the job. It's called a 'Drive By' appraisal because the appraiser will drive by the outside of the house and take pictures and make notes on the condition, construction etc. THEN---we come back to the office to fill out a report. The scope of the work is $250 worth of our time----and actually that is a rather inexpensive Drive By Appraisal, believe it or not! We've heard these types of comments a LOT----how an appraiser comes in, snaps a few photos etc. , "must be nice to make that kind of money for that" But remember, we are licensed, must take continuing ed EVERY year and have professional standards to follow. Our time is worth money----so the second appraisal you got was a Full Appraisal---meaning the bank required a full interior/exterior inspection to give a thorough valuation---hence your different experiences. ;) Our appraiser wasn't here long either but he drove 2 hours from his last house to ours, then had 2 hours to the next house, and hoped to complete a 4th house the same day. I was surprised. I know may appraisers and inspectors in our area has closed doors with the drop in business from the lack of real estate sales. The ones still doing it said the day above was typical. Our inspectors charged $300 and were here 5 hours and gave us a 100pg report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4wildberrys Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Our appraiser wasn't here long either but he drove 2 hours from his last house to ours, then had 2 hours to the next house, and hoped to complete a 4th house the same day. I was surprised. I know may appraisers and inspectors in our area has closed doors with the drop in business from the lack of real estate sales. The ones still doing it said the day above was typical. Our inspectors charged $300 and were here 5 hours and gave us a 100pg report. It sounds like you had a commercial appraisal? Commercial appraising is a whole next level of licensing and education and training....many, many years. My husband drives that distance and more. It has to do with licensing and getting on approved lists of these new Appraisal Management Companies. Basically, because the crooked banks and their crooked mortgage lenders screwed up big time, the little guy pays----as in appraisers have many new regulations, rules about how far away you can get comparable properties, how far away you can even live from the area, and much more paperwork and comp search work per appraisal. So even though we have been doing work in 2 counties in the next state over for 15 years, all of a sudden he is too far away to do it right. Even though he has been an LRA (Licensed Real Estate Appraiser) for 15 years, all of a sudden being licensed isn't good enough----he needs to get Certified which equates to much more $$$ and more education! It's really frustrating----so many long time appraisers so disgusted with these ridiculous new rules that have done nothing to improve the industry have left it. The AMCs are actually totally UNREGULATED and so they charge clients like $750 for an appraisal and then try and get the appraiser to do them for cheap, like $300, while they pocket the difference and THEN pressure the appraiser to come up with the values still!! How many businesses can you say that you make less per job today than you did 15 years ago???? :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Um...well, that was just the FIRST part of the job. It's called a 'Drive By' appraisal because the appraiser will drive by the outside of the house and take pictures and make notes on the condition, construction etc. THEN---we come back to the office to fill out a report. The scope of the work is $250 worth of our time----and actually that is a rather inexpensive Drive By Appraisal, believe it or not! We've heard these types of comments a LOT----how an appraiser comes in, snaps a few photos etc. , "must be nice to make that kind of money for that" But remember, we are licensed, must take continuing ed EVERY year and have professional standards to follow. Our time is worth money----so the second appraisal you got was a Full Appraisal---meaning the bank required a full interior/exterior inspection to give a thorough valuation---hence your different experiences. ;) Actually, I think we just got a lame appraiser. They copied the previous appraiser word for word in the report. I am thinking that tighter regulations in the past few years meant that the bank needed a better appraisal, especially with radically shifting property values. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I don't think it matters. We had our house appraised for a re-fi a couple months ago and it was a mess. Still appraised at what we'd hoped. The poor appraiser even got bit by one of our numerous wasp nests and it didn't affect the appraisal.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 another vote for it doesn't matter. They base their calculations on things like "hardwood floors: yes or no." "full basement: yes or no". Unlike potential buyers, they don't seem to have a category for "hardwood floors so warm and clean and beautiful it brought a tear to my eye". So don't go crazy cleaning, just make sure they have easy access to everything, (including the attic) and point out major improvements you have made! Good luck, I hope the offer is everything you hope for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 He was here and I sent him off with a list of improvements/upgrades but he didn't sound too promising as home values in our area are very low. We will see how this comes out. As long as we get enough to find something like what we have I guess we will have to be happy. Of course, the state says we will be VERY happy with what they offer so we will see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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